2Melody - Illinois Institute of Technology

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Project Summary This project addresses a pressing reality in the city of Chicago, particularly in low-income neighborhoods. Many such neighborhoods, mainly on the west and south sides of the city, are experiencing losses of businesses as well as the loss of residents who are leaving the area for better opportunities. Unfortunately in the past 16 years, these neighborhoods have been disproportionate-ly affected by the closing of over 150 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) [WTTW News]. Recently, projects such as “Rebirth of Garfield Park,” the “Chicago Housing Initiative,” “Reinventing Cities Initiative” and “In-vest South/West” have been initiated with the aim of revitalizing these areas by

encouraging housing development, promoting social housing and offering diverse programs to create work opportunities. The project site, former Genevieve Me-lody Public School, located at 412 S Keeler Ave, Chi-cago, IL 60624, follows through with the efforts be-ing made to revitalize West Garfield Park. As a recently abandoned CPS building, Melody can act as a social instrument and serve as a catalyst for revitalization. Repurposing the school into a Mixed-Use Multi-Family space, provides an opportunity for change within the community. The repurposing of Melody can act as a model for other closed schools to be transformed. The overarching concept for the project is the

Image 1. 3D View of Plot.

Image 2 Location. Image 3. CPS School Closings

3Melody - Illinois Institute of Technology

SOCIOECO-NOMIC

Social Reinsertion.Skill Training.Workforce.

The community center as the driving thread to bring cohesion to the

neighborhood through knowledge and sustainable principles

Working Opportunities.Resilient Incubator Workshops.

Economic Activator.

Public Awareness.

Revenue Generation.

MELODYDESIGN

MATERIALS

ENERGY

CONCEPT

Reduction of fixed partitions.

Repurposing the existing.

The design of spaces enhances the resilience of the building, both in the

adaptability to the needs of the program and to the uncertainty of

the future.

A module to organize the space.

Adaptation to other functions.Flexibility according to needs.

Introduction of local,recyled materials

Reuse ofExisting Materials .

Circular economy principles are applied for the materiality of the

project. The aim is to make it evident as a collage of its history and context.

Replacement within the plot.

Possibility of dissasembling forfuture uses.

Replicability Potential.

Renovationof a building.

The concept is easily replicable. The approach and process can be

followed and adapted to each parti-cular situation. Learning example.

Many closed CPS in low income neighborhoods.

Program driven by socioeconomic, cultural and historical analysis of the

neighborhood.

Energy consumption.

Energy generation.

As the zero energy challenge,energy production meets energy

consumption.

SOCIOECO-NOMIC

Social Reinsertion.Skill Training.Workforce.

The community center as the driving thread to bring cohesion to the

neighborhood through knowledge and sustainable principles

Working Opportunities.Resilient Incubator Workshops.

Economic Activator.

Public Awareness.

Revenue Generation.

MELODYDESIGN

MATERIALS

ENERGY

CONCEPT

Reduction of fixed partitions.

Repurposing the existing.

The design of spaces enhances the resilience of the building, both in the

adaptability to the needs of the program and to the uncertainty of

the future.

A module to organize the space.

Adaptation to other functions.Flexibility according to needs.

Introduction of local,recyled materials

Reuse ofExisting Materials .

Circular economy principles are applied for the materiality of the

project. The aim is to make it evident as a collage of its history and context.

Replacement within the plot.

Possibility of dissasembling forfuture uses.

Replicability Potential.

Renovationof a building.

The concept is easily replicable. The approach and process can be

followed and adapted to each parti-cular situation. Learning example.

Many closed CPS in low income neighborhoods.

Program driven by socioeconomic, cultural and historical analysis of the

neighborhood.

Energy consumption.

Energy generation.

As the zero energy challenge,energy production meets energy

consumption.

SOCIOECO-NOMIC

Social Reinsertion.Skill Training.Workforce.

The community center as the driving thread to bring cohesion to the

neighborhood through knowledge and sustainable principles

Working Opportunities.Resilient Incubator Workshops.

Economic Activator.

Public Awareness.

Revenue Generation.

MELODYDESIGN

MATERIALS

ENERGY

CONCEPT

Reduction of fixed partitions.

Repurposing the existing.

The design of spaces enhances the resilience of the building, both in the

adaptability to the needs of the program and to the uncertainty of

the future.

A module to organize the space.

Adaptation to other functions.Flexibility according to needs.

Introduction of local,recyled materials

Reuse ofExisting Materials .

Circular economy principles are applied for the materiality of the

project. The aim is to make it evident as a collage of its history and context.

Replacement within the plot.

Possibility of dissasembling forfuture uses.

Replicability Potential.

Renovationof a building.

The concept is easily replicable. The approach and process can be

followed and adapted to each parti-cular situation. Learning example.

Many closed CPS in low income neighborhoods.

Program driven by socioeconomic, cultural and historical analysis of the

neighborhood.

Energy consumption.

Energy generation.

As the zero energy challenge,energy production meets energy

consumption.

SOCIOECO-NOMIC

Social Reinsertion.Skill Training.Workforce.

The community center as the driving thread to bring cohesion to the

neighborhood through knowledge and sustainable principles

Working Opportunities.Resilient Incubator Workshops.

Economic Activator.

Public Awareness.

Revenue Generation.

MELODYDESIGN

MATERIALS

ENERGY

CONCEPT

Reduction of fixed partitions.

Repurposing the existing.

The design of spaces enhances the resilience of the building, both in the

adaptability to the needs of the program and to the uncertainty of

the future.

A module to organize the space.

Adaptation to other functions.Flexibility according to needs.

Introduction of local,recyled materials

Reuse ofExisting Materials .

Circular economy principles are applied for the materiality of the

project. The aim is to make it evident as a collage of its history and context.

Replacement within the plot.

Possibility of dissasembling forfuture uses.

Replicability Potential.

Renovationof a building.

The concept is easily replicable. The approach and process can be

followed and adapted to each parti-cular situation. Learning example.

Many closed CPS in low income neighborhoods.

Program driven by socioeconomic, cultural and historical analysis of the

neighborhood.

Energy consumption.

Energy generation.

As the zero energy challenge,energy production meets energy

consumption.

SOCIOECO-NOMIC

Social Reinsertion.Skill Training.Workforce.

The community center as the driving thread to bring cohesion to the

neighborhood through knowledge and sustainable principles

Working Opportunities.Resilient Incubator Workshops.

Economic Activator.

Public Awareness.

Revenue Generation.

MELODYDESIGN

MATERIALS

ENERGY

CONCEPT

Reduction of fixed partitions.

Repurposing the existing.

The design of spaces enhances the resilience of the building, both in the

adaptability to the needs of the program and to the uncertainty of

the future.

A module to organize the space.

Adaptation to other functions.Flexibility according to needs.

Introduction of local,recyled materials

Reuse ofExisting Materials .

Circular economy principles are applied for the materiality of the

project. The aim is to make it evident as a collage of its history and context.

Replacement within the plot.

Possibility of dissasembling forfuture uses.

Replicability Potential.

Renovationof a building.

The concept is easily replicable. The approach and process can be

followed and adapted to each parti-cular situation. Learning example.

Many closed CPS in low income neighborhoods.

Program driven by socioeconomic, cultural and historical analysis of the

neighborhood.

Energy consumption.

Energy generation.

As the zero energy challenge,energy production meets energy

consumption.

“Loop”, which aids in the resilience of the building in terms of social, economical and environmental interests. Residents become part of the “Loop” as they enter the facility as interim residents and acquire knowledge and skills through various on-site works-hops and partnerships with training facilities around the area. Once consistent income has been established, they have the opportunity to move into the low-income housing units. On a larger scale, the “Loop” system works towards regenerating interest in an abandoned building and by extension, revitalizing the neighborhood. A sense of community is created by introducing an urban plaza and indoor public space, which incorporates social activities and addresses the needs of the neighborhood. The new pathways encourage movement across the site, bringing in more people towards the plaza. Additionally, the circulation paths and green spaces from the exterior continue on the inside. By utilizing the modules, materiality and circu-lation patterns, the “Loop” also drives the architectural design by blending the boundary between the inside and the outside. Melody Public School sits on an L-shaped plot with roads on three sides and the I-290 towards the south. The existing layout consists of classes around the periphery and public functions placed in the core, all arranged on a 15’x15’ grid. This has been incorporated into the design, retaining its character and presence in the neighborhood. All new additions have been made using the existing modularity of the structure. This strategy minimizes the need for new construction on the project and promotes the “Loop” in terms of reuse. Another major strategy in the architectural design is flexibility, which enables interim residents to make functional changes in their units. This allows for a greater sense of belonging and instilling a sense of ownership. Materials, which are being removed, will be used for different purposes within the new design. An attempt is being made to have all new elements incorporated into the building to be made of recycled materials. The material choices reflect the “Loop” as they are easy to assemble and can easily be reused in the future. The aim is to keep the future in mind and recognize that buildings can be repurposed and remodeled again, therefore the new construction will be modular and flexible. The energy aspect of Melody also falls under the idea of the “Loop” as all energy being produced will be used within the building or fed back to the grid. The concept of incorporating the program into a zero energy building will serve as a feasibility study on low-income housing. Reducing building consumption while increasing the use of renewable energy sources reduces the cost of living for residents and the cost of ope-ration for the owner.